Jon Kimura Parker to perform piano concert

Internationally acclaimed concert pianist Jon Kimura Parker will perform a solo piano concert, “Leaves of Gold,” on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at Orcas Center.

This fundraising concert, auction and fireside supper reception benefits Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival programming and community education.

Parker’s program will include Beethoven’s Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 Pathètique and Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 Appassionata, a bouquet of jazz selections by Chick Corea, China Gates by John Adams and an oft-requested performance of Stravinsky’s Petrouchka.

Following the concert, patrons are invited to a fireside supper and live auction, where they can win music adventure trips to other esteemed festivals in 2010. The items up for auction include performances of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, the Seattle Chamber Music Society at Benaroya Hall or the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colo. The trips include accommodations for two, concert tickets, as well as a local luxury experience.

An extraordinary career has taken OICMF’s Artistic Advisor “Jackie” Parker from Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House to the Canadian Arctic and war-torn Sarajevo. He is an Officer of The Order of Canada, his country's highest civilian honor.

Most recently, Parker has performed as a guest soloist with the Seattle Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Warsaw Philharmonic, and the NHK Tokyo Orchestra. Summer festival appearances have included the Hollywood Bowl, Vail, Ravinia, La Jolla, Santa Fe, and Orcas Island. He has collaborated with Joshua Bell, Bobby McFerrin, and Pinchas Zukerman. Parker has given command performances for Queen Elizabeth II, the United States Supreme Court, and the Prime Ministers of Canada and Japan, and has given world premieres of works by Alexina Louie, Paul Schoenfield and Peter Schickele.

Born into a musical family in Vancouver, B.C., Parker studied with Edward Parker, Keiko Parker, Lee Kum-Sing, Marek Jablonski, and Adele Marcus. A committed educator himself, Jon Kimura Parker is Professor of Piano at The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston. He has recorded for CBC, OICMF and Telarc.

Concert tickets are $150 and may be purchased by calling the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival office at 376-6636. Visit www.oicmf.org for more information.

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